Chapter 18

Paranoia and the Art of Bargaining

Sometimes Kakashi really wished he'd been born with no talent for the shinobi life. Then, maybe he wouldn't be sitting on this unforgiving steel chair across from one very angry T & I specialist. Very little could manage to scare him, but the look in Ibiki's eyes right now was pretty quickly making its way onto that short list. And by the scent of fear emanating off of Colonel O'Neil and Daniel it was clear that he'd made their short lists as well. Because here, in the bowels of the T & I building, Ibiki no longer looked on Kakashi as his superior, as he did when they were ANBU. No, here, Ibiki ran the show, and it was crystal clear that the man was not happy with any of this. Perhaps it was time for him to try and break the tension in the room...before this got any further out of hand.

"Mah, Ibiki, is this really necessary? Couldn't you ask your questions somewhere that the chairs aren't bolted to the floor?"

The bandana-wearing man turned his full attention onto Kakashi, making him squirm on the inside. Of course, he wouldn't think of letting that man know that. Instead he curled his eyes up into a smile. Ibiki, however, wasn't amused in the least.

"If I had it my way, Hatake, you wouldn't be here at all. But as no one else can speak their language fluently, you get to act as my translator. So I don't want to hear your mouth for any other reason than that. Am I clear?"

Kakashi ran one gloved hand across the back of his neck, tracing the Goa'uld scar with the pads of his fingers before meeting Ibiki's glare with one of his own. "So long as all that you're doing is questioning them, then I'll play along Morino. But don't think for a moment that I'll sit by and let you do anything else."

The two locked gazes for a handful of silent seconds before Ibiki scowled. "I don't take being threatened in my own space very well, Copy Ninja. Watch your mouth."

He smirked behind his mask. That was as close as Ibiki ever got to accepting a warning. Kakashi nodded once, and looked to his left where Jack and Daniel were seated in similarly uncomfortable chairs. Something in how they were seated made him acutely aware that this was neither man's first time in an interrogation room. He made sure to note their reactions when he started speaking to them.

"They want me to act as your translator during this...interview. Let me know if there is anything that you don't understand and I'll try to explain it to you." He glanced back at Ibiki before continuing. "The area you were found in holds very bad memories for this entire village. So don't be surprised if the questioning is harsh."

"Enough, Hatake! You would be wise to remember that I can understand some of their language. We will begin now."

Kakashi let loose an exaggerated puff of air and rubbed his hands together. "Right! Here we go. First question, please, Ibiki."

"Who authorized your entry into the Uchiha District?"

He caught Daniel's eye and hoped he and Jack wouldn't make this more difficult than it was bound to be. And then he translated as he was required to do. Jack leaned forward with his hands palm down on the metal table.

"We didn't know we needed somebody's okay. It isn't like it was marked 'No Trespassing' or anything. And besides, I didn't even enter from the front gate! I had no clue where that cave would lead me!"

So much for the hope that the Colonel might remain calm and clear-headed. Kakashi was about to translate when Daniel placed a hand on his wrist, drawing his attention.

"Please remind them that Jack can't read the warnings even if they were posted. And that neither of us meant any disrespect when we entered the restricted area."

He nodded at the archaeologist before translating both comments. Ibiki barely let the last word leave Kakashi's mouth before he launched into the next question. This one was directly aimed toward the Colonel, and made it crystal clear that they didn't believe it was an accident that he'd found the hidden entrance to the Uchiha District.

"What have you taken from there?"

"Jack, did you take anything out of the tunnels?"

The Colonel snorted at him. "Somehow I don't think ole' Scar-face phrased it quite so nice."

Daniel frowned at the man. "Jack, stop doing that. Just answer his questions."

"Right. Should have known you'd side with them on this."

Kakashi shook his head at the two of them and was about to step in when Ibiki's fist landed hard on the table. "No talk. Just answer!"

The heavily accented words were laced with anger, but they didn't stop Jack from pointing out the flaw in the man's comments. "How are we supposed to answer if we can't talk?"

"Jack...really?"

Kakashi tried to keep the laughter out of his voice. "Colonel, he wants you to answer without Daniel's or my input."

"Right. Fine, then. No – I didn't take anything out of that place." He paused and interlaced his fingers behind his head. "They stopped us before we could even think of it."

Kakashi frowned. How the hell was he going to keep this up without making Jack, at least, look guilty? He shook his head and went ahead, word for word, not surprised in the least with the next words out of Ibiki's mouth.

"So you admit that you would have taken items if we did not find you when we did?"

Daniel didn't bother to wait for Kakashi's translation. "What we found isn't so easily moved, and is useless without its companion piece."

This time Ibiki's razor-sharp gaze locked on Doctor Jackson. "And if that piece had been there you would have used that device?"

Kakashi watched Daniel chew on his bottom lip as he debated how to answer. "Yes. We would have."

Jack turned toward them and scowled. "Somebody wanna fill me in?"

"Looks like Daniel just admitted that you would have used that device in the tunnels if you had found the second item."

The Colonel smirked. "Well...he got that right."

"What does the weapon do?"

This time Kakashi answered for the pair. "It's not a weapon, Morino. It's a portal."

He felt the full weight of the man's anger fall on him. "I told you NOT to speak for them, Hatake."

"And I told you to watch what you were asking them. They weren't there looking for a weapon."

This time Ibiki leaned forward. "And just how would you know that?"

"Because I saw the specs for the device when I was back in their headquarters!"

The T & I specialist made one quick hand sign and Kakashi had three ANBU standing directly behind him. Two had a hand on his shoulders while the third likely was one hand-sign away from freezing his movements...if not killing him outright. So much for not getting involved in this beyond translating.

While Jack really had no clue what had been said, Daniel quite obviously understood every word. "Kakashi, what do you mean you saw the specs for the Dimensional Mirror? I only showed you a picture of the devices."

Now the Colonel caught on as well, and would have jumped to his feet if more ANBU hadn't stopped him. "You sneaky bastard! How the hell did you get away with that? Those specs are locked up for a reason!"

Daniel's voice held the edge of disappointment in it. "Why would you do that? We were trying to help you."

At this point, Kakashi'd had more than enough of it all. "Was that before or after your people tried to turn me into a test subject, Daniel? I did what I had to in order to find a way back to Konoha. Turns out you and the Colonel were doing the exact same thing. So stop pretending that I did anything that anyone in my position wouldn't have done…yourself included."

Both members of SG-1 were left speechless at his outburst, but Kakashi was far from done. This time he focused his anger back at Ibiki. "Of course if I had realized that I'd be treated as an enemy once I returned, I may have rethought wanting to come back."

Morino crossed his arms. "Are you saying that you'd prefer to be a missing-nin? That can be arranged."

A harsh laugh was pushed past his lips before Kakashi managed to respond. "What I'm saying, Ibiki, is that I'm sick of being treated as badly here as I was by those who didn't know me. You are all afraid of what I might do with my new-found abilities, right? Get me just a little angrier and I'd be glad to give you a first-hand demonstration."

There was utter silence in the room for almost three full minutes until it was broken by the Colonel. "Not sure what the tree-frog just said, but I'm sorta glad it wasn't aimed at me."

As though his voice was enough to set things in motion, the hands on Kakashi's shoulders tightened their grip at the same time that Ibiki stood and leaned over the table to look straight into his uncovered eye.

"Kakashi Hatake. You are found to be a risk to Konoha and its citizens. You are to be placed into custody until further notice, in response to your own actions. I would advise you not to resist."

He sighed and lowered his head as he placed his hands face down on the table, signifying his acceptance of Ibiki's ruling. "Can't say that I'm surprised."

He resisted the urge to tense when he felt the cold metal of chakra-dampening cuffs click into place around his wrists. He glanced over to where Daniel and Jack were watching everything unfold and sighed before turning back to face Ibiki.

"I suggest that you have Shikamaru Nara brought over to translate if you intend to continue this farce of an interrogation. By now he should be almost as good at it as I am."

With that said he stood up and allowed himself to be transported out of the room and into what he recognized immediately as the hallway leading to the highest level security cells within the Village walls. Kakashi closed his eyes and wished once more that his dad had never taught him to pick up a kunai.

Jack leaned in closer to Daniel as the masked freaks disappeared with Kakashi. "What the hell just happened?"

A tired sigh led into his friend's response. "I can't be completely sure, but I think that he threatened Ibiki...and he might have ended up branded as an enemy of the village."

He let out a low whistle. "If that's how they treat one of their own, I'm not liking our chances here."

"That's the problem, Jack. They may not think of Kakashi as one of their own anymore."

His attention was drawn to the stocky interrogator when that man leaned forward, slamming his meaty hands on the table top, and locked his eyes with Daniel's. "What did to Hatake?! Tell now!"

Jack watched Daniel pale a shade or two and he'd had enough of the bull. It was time to show them that no one pushed around a member of his team. No one. He lunged forward, intending to make that crystal clear to this idiot, his anger leaking into his tone.

"Leave him alone, Freak!"

Unfortunately the man didn't seem to care what his intentions were. And his attack on the kerchief-wearing fool was stopped before he'd gotten anywhere near him. One of those damned masked freaks forced his arms behind his back even as he was pushed face first onto the top of the metal table. At this point Jack knew better than to struggle against these soldiers. They seemed to know what his next move would be even before he did.

"Jack, I'm fine, really. Just let me handle this."

Without waiting for his response, Daniel turned back toward the interrogator. There was a tensing in the archeologist's shoulders that Jack knew meant that the kid was about to say something that he knew he wouldn't like. One last quick glance from the man made that feeling double.

Daniel wasn't sure of much right now, but one thing was crystal clear; Kakashi's current situation was one hundred percent his fault. If the man had just hidden on PX3-7289 and not gained the attention of the Goa'uld, then everything that led up to him being declared a threat to his own village never would have happened. Of course, then the man likely would still be stranded there, with no working knowledge of the Stargate system at all. Which led him back to the fact that Kakashi would have been much better off if he'd never met him.

He frowned at where that circle of thought left him and channeled his growing guilt into his words.

"Your people already know exactly what we did or didn't do to Kakashi. Or was it just my imagination when I felt them traipsing through my mind when you people were so anxious to save his life?"

Daniel could almost feel the waves of anger flowing off Ibiki. That alone let him know he'd probably stepped over the line this time. But strangely, instead of responding to his question, or causing him bodily harm, the interrogator stood and walked out of the door, taking the ANBU contingent with him. Now Daniel was confused. He'd at least expected to be put in his place by the gruff man. Was this some sort of test? Leave him alone and see what he might do? Or maybe they wanted him to try to escape so that they would be in their rights to kill him once and for all.

"What the heck just happened, Danny?"

Jack's words snapped him out of his paranoid reverie, and reminded him that he wasn't alone in this after all. He met the man's eyes and let out a frustrated sigh. "I have no idea."

Iruka was halfway through grading the stack of papers from this week's classes when a strong gust of wind blew through the door flap of the tent he was currently using as the Academy office. He made a valiant effort to keep the piles of graded papers from mixing in with the ungraded, but one more gust undid his work in the blink of an eye. He sat back in his chair and groaned. It would take him at least an hour to sort through the mess, and then he still had half the papers left to grade. All because he'd begged the Hokage to let him restart the Academy even though the building was still in shambles. But he knew the children of Konoha needed some small taste of normalcy if they were ever going to get over the loss and destruction left after the war.

He knew this from experience, which was probably why Lady Tsunade had agreed to his idea in the first place. After all, he'd been just a kid during the Third Great Shinobi War. He'd lost both of his parents to the rampaging Kyuubi, and had used the Academy classes to give his life purpose again. Sure, he'd also channeled some of that angst into several rather creative pranks over the years, but it was the idea of learning to protect the village that had gotten them all through in the end. And it was that lesson that he was trying so hard to share now. Of course Iruka had made the assumption that he would have help in his task. Evidently the Hokage did not make that same assumption. Which was why he was the only one grading dozens of papers and trying to make sure he paid the same level of attention to every single one of them.

He sighed and leaned forward to set his forehead on the desk. This was definitely going to be a long night. He stayed like that for several more seconds before letting out one more pitiful sigh and pushing himself back up to sitting. He was startled at the sight of three ANBU standing in front of his table and very nearly let out an undignified squeak. Thankfully he didn't, but that certainly didn't keep his heart from racing and his face from flushing in embarrassment.

"Iruka-sensei, you are needed."

The voice coming from behind the mask of the center figure left no room for argument, but that didn't keep Iruka from attempting to pick up some of the scattered papers. Until, that is, one dark-sandaled foot stepped onto the next paper causing him to pull his hand back.

"Now."

Iruka leaned back and peered up at the ANBU. "You can't tell me that whatever it is that you need me for can't wait two more minutes for me to gather up these papers. Or do you want to explain to the Hokage why I am unable to keep the recently reopened Academy on track?"

He could sense the slight hesitation from the shinobi in front of him and he knew that his words were actually being considered. Two swift movements of the ANBU's hand and the other two masked shinobi were gathering together all of the loose sheets in half the time Iruka would have managed. Granted they took no real car with the documents, but at least there was no fear of them being scattered any further. As the ANBU in front of him moved his foot off of the paper he'd been standing on, Iruka smiled, grabbed a hold of the sheet and rose to his feet.

"Thank you."

One of the others grabbed the satchel from one end of the table and shoved the documents into it before thrusting it into Iruka's arms. That done, the ANBU moved to his side and lay his left hand on Iruka's shoulder before using the other to manipulate the chakra needed for a teleportation jutsu. When it was over, he found that they had moved to the hallways of one of the secure levels in what he could only assume was the ANBU headquarters. He was guided through the catacomb of hallways until they arrived at one of many rooms lining this particular hallway. The metal door was ajar, and he could just make of whispers in what sounded like the language Kakashi's new friends spoke.

The ANBU gripped him by the elbow before whispering instructions into his ear. "Until Shikamaru Nara returns from his mission you are to act as their chaperone. Learn what you can from them of their time with Hatake. You will stay with them until further notice."

Once that last word was spoken, he was guided into the room and the metal door was pulled shut behind him with a dull clunk. His arms were still wrapped tightly around his satchel as the two men seated at the table glanced up at him. Iruka could see the confusion on their faces at his appearance, and he had to admit he shared that feeling himself. All he knew for certain was that he'd been given a direct order from the ANBU, and he was in no position to go against it.

He placed what he hoped was a believable smile on his lips and set his satchel on top of the metal table before bowing slightly to the two men. "Good afternoon. I've been asked to watch over you until Shikamaru is available. I hope that you don't mind if I work on some grading while we wait?"

At his words he saw Daniel's tense shoulders relax at least a little before the man turned and translated to the other. He then saw Jack relax a bit too, and Iruka took that as a good sign. All he had to do now was find a way to get them to talk about the Copy-ninja's time on their world. He sighed and starting pulling out the crumpled stacks of papers that the ANBU had rescued for him. Fortunately for him, it only took a moment for Daniel and Jack to understand his intention to separate the marked pages from the unmarked, and soon the three of them were chuckling over the obvious footprints on more than a few of the sheets. That was followed by Daniel volunteering to help grade the papers, and Jack working on separating and smoothing down the remainder of the stack.

It seemed to Iruka that the two were thankful for any distraction from what they likely had experienced in the room before his arrival. A fact which he was very thankful for, as it should enable him to build enough trust with them to hopefully broach the subject of Kakashi long before the last paper was graded. Then, with luck, Shikamaru would be home soon, and Iruka could return to his routine. Of course, in hindsight, he probably should have asked how much longer until Shikamaru was expected back. Oh well. At least the papers would be graded.

Sam set the last of the dimensional resonators in place before glancing across the Stargate's ramp to see her dad finishing up his work as well. When he looked up and smiled at her she returned it in kind. It almost seemed selfish of her, but at least this latest catastrophe was allowing her to spend some quality time with her dad. True, Selmac stole some of that time, but it still was pretty neat being able to work together for a change.

"Samantha, are you certain that there is not some way to test the device first?"

She looked up to find Martouf watching her. The deep lines at the bridge of his nose spoke volumes for just how worried the man was, and she wanted nothing more than to wrap him in a hug until his mind was at ease. Sam paused in her thoughts – if they were her thoughts. Ever since they'd encountered Sokar during their rescue of her Dad, she'd find that, more often than not, Jolinar's feelings and memories would rise to the surface anytime she'd spend more than five minutes with with the Tok'ra.

Her confusion must have been plain on her face because a slight frown pulled at Martouf's lips. She forced a smile and leaned back, placing her hands on her thighs as she tried to lighten the mood.

"Unless you have someone in the Tok'ra ranks that has come from another dimension I'm afraid that computer simulations are as good as it gets."

Her heart fluttered a bit when his frown transformed to a smile that reached his eyes. Damn, this was making her start to wonder if some of these feelings were her own, especially when his smile grew and Sam felt her cheeks warming from a blush. Thankfully General Hammond's voice over the intercom caught both of their attention.

"Major Carter, how much longer before we can resume using the Stargate?"

Sam stood and faced the observation window where the General was peering down at them. She brushed the dirt off of her hands as she walked to the nearest intercom unit and switched it on.

"We've done what we can in here, Sr. I can be packed up and out of the way in ten."

She saw the General turn to the side, where she was just noticing that the remaining Tok'ra were standing, before he turned back with a frown.

"You've got five, Major."

She frowned, wondering just what was going on this time. "Yes Sir."

Not wasting a moment, Sam returned to the gate and started packing up what was closest to where the event horizon would form once it was brought back online. She noticed that Martouf had crossed over to help her dad with whatever was in the way on the other side. They'd only just managed to clear the ramp area when the room had filled with the mechanical sounds of bringing the gate back online. She wondered just what was going on that they'd need to gain gate access before the originally agreed on time. Did the Tok'ra receive word from one of their agents? But that made no sense. They usually received their messages through the gate – just like the SGC did. Unless their operative was already on Earth…or they actually had another way to communicate besides the gate and never bothered to share it with them.

A quick look toward her dad made it clear that he was likely wondering about it too, and she shook her head at how easily she had slipped into conspiracy theories against their allies. That was something more likely from Colonel O'Neil, not her. She frowned.

The thought of the Colonel led to her thinking of all three of the missing men, and brought her mind back into focus. She really didn't have time to worry about what the Tok'ra may or may not have shared with them. What mattered was finding a way to get Madara to release his prisoners back to them. All of the prisoners…because even though she'd only known General Hatake for a short time, the thought of him remaining in the hands of this new enemy made her stomach twist.

Sure, Kakashi had made a bit of trouble during his time at the SGC. But so had all of SG-1 at one time or another, herself included. The silver-haired man had an uncanny knack for getting under the Colonel's skin too. She couldn't remember the last time Jack had gone after someone with such gusto. Heck, even Teal'c got in on the action. And when it came right down to it, she'd never experienced anything like when the man had whisked her out of Cheyenne Mountain with nothing more than a few hand movements. She wanted nothing more than to discuss his abilities with him. Well, if she was being completely honest with herself, she really wanted to test those inhuman abilities. Not in a creepy horror movie way, but rather, she'd love to see what else he had in his repertoire.

'You okay, Sammy?"

She looked up to find that her Dad had crossed to her side of the room and was looking at her with worry plain on his face. She forced a smile onto his lips before responding.

"Sure, Dad. Just hoping that we didn't miss anything."

The expression on his face made it clear that he didn't buy her answer, and she knew that the two of them would be talking about it in the near future. But before she had time to worry about it any further, the gate finished the pre-dialing sequence and moments later was receiving an inbound wormhole. Sam held her breath while they all waited for whoever was about to step through the event horizon. She knew it was silly of her, but she couldn't help hoping that it would be Daniel and the Colonel coming home safe and sound.

The entry to the gate shimmered in that way that meant someone or something was about to emerge, and it was hard for Sam to hide her disappointment when, instead of her friends emerging from the wormhole, two members of the Tok'ra stepped onto the ramp. Which made it clear that their allies hadn't been entirely truthful about their means to communicate between worlds. A quick glance at the observation window showed her that the General had come to that same conclusion.

"Holy Hannah…"

Her father's whispered words sent a chill down her spine even as she spun on her heel to sigh just what had elicited such a reaction from him. When she focused back onto the ramp what she saw explained it all. She scrambled to the wall where earlier in the day she'd installed a new switch and she turned it on, hoping to God it worked the way the simulations showed it would. The lights within the gate-room flickered as the electronics drew a larger amperage than the power grid would normally supply. For the briefest moment she feared that she might have miscalculated the draw and would end up causing a power failure, but soon the lights steadied and a low hum resonated throughout the room.

"I believe it's working, Samantha." Martouf sounded somewhat surprised and Sam was about to question him about it when quiet laughter could be heard over that mechanical hum.

She turned back to face the boy that Kakashi's memories had shown them all, and one look at how he stood, a smirk gracing his lips, made it clear that he was amused by their barrier. Which was definitely not the reaction they had been going for. Meanwhile the Tok'ra who were also enclosed within the barrier were more than a bit agitated when they couldn't take a single step off of the ramp. And they had no trouble letting them know about it.

"What is the meaning of this? Release us at once!"

The Tok'ra host who spoke was one that Sam had never encountered before, but Jolinar's memories showed her that this was definitely the norm for the man. At the same time she knew the actual symbiote was one of the most pleasant within the Tok'ra. Still, when the eyes flashed she couldn't help flinching.

"Forgive Maalfor. He doesn't take captivity of any sort well. But considering the circumstances, we cannot fault your caution."

Again the young man's laughter set Sam's nerves on edge. What could he possibly find amusing in all of this? And it was clear that she wasn't the only one thinking that when General Hammond joined her in front of the ramp.

"What exactly are you finding so amusing, son? Don't you realize your situation?"

The laughter stopped, and as the boy turned to face the General, Sam could have sworn the air around them dropped a dozen degrees. She saw him narrow his dark eyes at the General, but then that gaze moved to her, and from one second to the next his eyes transformed to the dark red iris that she could remember Madara having. She took a step back when the three dark marks surrounding his pupil started to slowly spin, and she knew she had miscalculated the enemy when the room started to spin.

Sasuke couldn't help laughing once more as the fair-haired woman fell to the floor before him. But the distinctive sound of a staff weapon activating was enough to end his mirth. He had witnessed first-hand just how deadly the weapon was in skilled hands, and he had to admit that he could be injured by it. He glanced toward where he'd heard that mechanical hiss and saw a dark-skinned man bearing the symbol similar to one of the many Goa'uld he'd encountered along the way. He vaguely recalled Madara mentioning that a traitor to their current ally would be here, but he didn't think it mattered for what he was being sent to do. He ignored the man and returned his attention to where an older man dressed in clothing similar to those who brought him here was kneeling next to the woman who was only now starting to stir. The man's words of concern filtered through the shimmering barrier.

"Sammy, you're okay. Come on, kiddo…wake up for me."

The tone of the words made it clear to Sasuke that these two were related, and when the woman finally opened her eyes she confirmed it for him.

"Dad? What's going on?"

Her confusion brought a smile to Sasuke's lips. Almost as much as when that confusion changed to barely hidden anger, and her focus shifted toward him while she tried to get to her feet. "What the hell did you do to me?"

Her father was instantly at her side helping to steady her. "Easy there, Kiddo."

"I'm fine, Dad." Her eyes foolishly swept toward Sasuke's once more. "Answer my question!"

He pushed down the sudden urge to pull her back under his Sharingan and chose to fold his arms instead. He was pleased to see more than one of those around him flinched at his movement. Madara had failed to tell him just how amusing these people could be. He dragged the silence out a bit more before speaking.

"You are naïve."

He watched as his words caused different reactions in every person around him. The Tok'ra at his side took slight steps back…although he was certain that they would deny it. The man wielding the staff weapon gripped it just that tiny bit harder; the intensity in his dark eyes making it clear that he wanted nothing more than to fire a burst at Sasuke's head. The man in the more formal uniform next to him pressed his lips into a thin line while furrowing his brow. The blond woman pushed away from her father and shook her head, as though trying to clear the fog that he knew would still be clinging to her mind from her forced nap.

When she regained herself she propped her hands on her hips and tipped her head to one side. "I'm naïve? Really?"

For a moment, between the tone in her voice and the stance she took, Sasuke thought he was looking at his former teammate, Sakura. But there was no pink hair. Nor was there the insanely concentrated chakra lying just beneath the surface. He hoped his uneasiness hadn't shown outwardly and continued as though there hadn't been those rebellious thoughts in his mind. After all – Sakura was nothing to him. Instead he focused once more on the woman in front of him.

"Your barrier may block a dimensional rift, but to think it will render us defenseless is, by any definition of the word, naïve."

This seemed to upset the woman's father more than her. "Are you trying to tell me that your dojutsu knocked Sammy out?"

Sasuke frowned. Had his former sensei really filled these people in on the abilities of the sharingan? It seemed so out of character for the usually tight-lipped jonin. But then again, if the man had told them everything then he would never have been able to affect the woman. No. Knowing that sneaky bastard, he likely only told them the bare minimum to get whatever he had been after at the time.

Sasuke sighed. He really hated playing the diplomat, but as this barrier confirmed that if Madara had come directly then he likely would have destroyed this place before they had a chance to put the plan into action, and that infernal bug would continue to worm its way into the man's brain until it eventually won that internal battle. And if that happened, then the dream of crushing Kakashi's heart with his own hand would be doubtful at best.

He bowed from the waist and spoke in what he hoped would pass for an apologetic tone. "Forgive me. I only wanted to show you a potential flaw in your design. One that might be fatal if Lord Madara cannot keep the snake in his head from winning."

The older soldier spoke, and it was clear that he was having a hard time buying what Sasuke was saying. "I've met that man, Son. And he seemed hell bent on destroying us without any Goa'uld influencing him. So don't think for a second that you'll convince me that he has our best interest in mind."

It was also clear now that this was the man that he'd need to convince if the carefully thought out plan was to succeed. So he slowly stood back up and deactivated his sharingan. "Very well, I will not waste your time trying to convince you. But answer me this. What would you be willing to do if it meant the safe return of your people?"

He watched the older man purse his lips and he could almost see the thoughts running in circles behind his eyes. The silence stretched on for quite a bit before that man finally answered the question..

"Very well, Son. I'm listening."